I am riding the PMC this year for reasons that are very dear to my heart. My 10 year old son, Carter lost his battle to osteosarcoma in November of 2018. Carter was an absolutely amazing boy and I couldn’t be more proud to be his mom. He lived his life to the fullest, always looking for adventure, pushing himself to his limits, loving, laughing and spreading joy to all around him.

One of his dreams was to ride the PMC with Team Jack when he was old enough. Unfortunately, osteosarcoma took his life before he was able to accomplish this goal. I am riding the PMC for Carter and to raise funds to help research new treatments for this awful disease.

Osteosarcoma is the most common bone tumor of children, adolescents, and young adults. In contrast to other pediatric cancers, there has been no significant improvement in outcomes in the past 30 years, and no new therapies have been identified. For those children like Carter, who have metastatic disease or a recurrence of their disease, current treatment options are limited. New treatments with better survival rates are needed now.

One of Carter’s incredible oncologists, Dr. Katie Janeway is a world expert in the treatment of children with osteosarcoma. She is dedicated to helping her patients through treatment and conducting essential research to help identify new therapies. Her work aims to transform how we treat this disease, and in so doing, improve the overall survival and quality of life for patients and their families. Dr. Janeway and her team are conducting early phase clinical trials of newly developed drugs specifically for children with osteosarcoma.

Please consider supporting my PMC ride with a donation to help the critical work needed to help advance osteosarcoma research. All the donations gathered will go directly to Dr. Janeway's osteosarcoma research. You are all aware of the reality of childhood cancer, share your awareness in hopes of uniting to make advancements in necessary pediatric oncology treatment.